Day 61: Back It Up Partner

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The PL stands for Parental Leave, which I am currently doing for six months.

Day 61. Where has the time gone? With June coming to a close, that will mark the half way point on this parental leave. Wow. Well I better keep enjoying the time I have with the boys.

Today was pretty quiet with the weather being dull, but that did not mean there was no action in the house. Charlie is entering a stage where a lot is going to happen fast, so it is important to help him along and watch for the big changes. Next week, he is 9 months old. Big time!

I also wanted to get a post in because I am not sure how much blogging there will be over the next few days. It is the annual birthday/Canada Day weekend here. I am very excited to see what we get up to. Make sure you check out the Instagrams and Vines over the long weekend.

Day 61, you were a good one.

Recipe: Smoked Ham On The Big Green Egg

Updated January 26, 2026

During my time using my Big Green Egg, I have done mostly chicken and beef. They are a lot quicker than pulled pork or even ribs. So, unless you are having guests over, you don’t try something that takes all day. Well, we had some friends over for dinner, and as we were planning the menu weeks ago, I wanted to try something new, but still something that had little chance of failure.

The worst thing you can do when expecting guests for dinner is to do something new that may not turn out. Then you are stuck serving food that you are not proud of, or you just give up and order pizza. I know the classics, such as beer can chicken or chicken thighs, would have been a hit, but it would have been pretty boring for me.

The answer turned out to be smoking a 10 lb. ham. Based on how much we all enjoyed it, I was glad I decided to ham it up.

Tequila Ham or as I was calling it, The Drunken Pig

Day 58: The Perfect Summer Day

pl-daily
The PL stands for Parental Leave, which I am currently doing for six months.

Summer started last Friday officially but today for me felt like the first day of summer. It was almost perfect. Short of my wife being home and not at work, it was one of those ideal days. The reason why? I got to go to the beach with my boys and have a great time. Not only did we hit the beach, we washed the car, went on a nature walk, relaxed in the basement and played in the backyard as the sun slowly went down. It could not have been scripted better. As I am almost half way into my 6-month leave from work, this was the day where I was like, oh yeah, this is what parental leave is all about.

Day 58, here is the rewind.

 

Like A Dad’s Photos Of The Week – June 21

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I love taking pictures. Whether it is of my kids, grilled meat or anything else that catches my eye.

Every Friday, we will be wrapping up the week with the best of the photos added to Like A Dad’s Instagram page.

Summer is here! That means even more shots of the kids outside having a blast. Not sure if I am into this whole video thing on Instagram?

Anyways…..

Here are photos from June 15-21.

Day 56: The NBA Season Is Over, Let Summer Begin

pl-daily
The PL stands for Parental Leave, which I am currently doing for six months.

Another catch up day on the PL Daily. Yesterday was another long day thanks to the NBA and their need to start games so late. I was going to blog before the game but by the time the boys were asleep, it was time for me to hit the couch. No worries, I can remember most of what happened yesterday. I am not that old yet. The weather has finally changed over to summer with a great deal of sun and warmth. Charlie and I got our fill yesterday with a long trail walk and then more sun playing outside. Day 56 was pretty normal when looking at the big picture but I have to say, Charlie is gearing up for some big stuff. He is slowly starting to figure out how to move around and that will make for a lot of fun.

Yes, the NBA season is over. No I was not happy with the outcome. But the good news is no more nights of staying up until 1 am. My body says thank you for that.

On with the show.

10 Of The Best Playgrounds Halifax Has To Offer

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When you have children of any age, one important list you need in your head is where the best local playgrounds are. Playgrounds are a staple for any parent because they give you a chance to get outside and of course, tire out your kids.

We live in Clayton Park in Halifax. There are numerous little playgrounds within walking distance to our house. They are ideal because they are usually empty which gives our boys free run of the place.

But a few swings and a slide just don’t cut it all the time.

So, when we have access to the car, we do our best to venture out into the city to go to some of the biggest and best playgrounds in Halifax and surrounding areas. We also like to go on adventures and find new playgrounds to enjoy.

Of course, having a parenting blog that focuses on Halifax, I decided it was time to start unloading the big list in my head and share it with the other parents who may not know about such wonderful places to play.

Before I list of these playgrounds, I want to add, that these are our 10 favourites. So if I leave one off the list, that is only because we have either not been there yet, or our kids did not like it when we went.

This is also a chance for those living in HRM to help compile a master list in the comments. The goal here is to make the best resource possible for parents to access when looking for a playground.

So here goes.

Day 54: Very, Very Late Night Thanks To LeBron

pl-daily
The PL stands for Parental Leave, which I am currently doing for six months.

One of the things that is hardest for this dad staying home is the pain I feel when I stay up late to watch sports. Our boys don’t care. They are still getting up around 6:30 or 7 am. There is no sympathy for dad being tired. They want breakfast just like every other day. Last night Day 54 went into overtime both in life and in the game I was watching. The Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-100 in OT and that means I will have to do it all once more tomorrow night for Game 7. Living in Nova Scotia means that games don’t start until 10pm. That is a killer. But I still watch and stress and enjoy the hell out of NBA basketball. In my next life I am living on the West coast where the games are over by 9 pm. Other than that it was a pretty quiet day on the PL.